Ayoub Khan Speaks Out Against Hate Crime

10.21.54am GMT Sat 2nd Jan 2010

Councillor Ayoub Khan has spoken out against hate crime

Councillor Ayoub Khan has helped to launch a major new campaign against hate crime in Birmingham. The campaign, launched by the Safer Birmingham crimefighting Partnership, aims to raise awareness about religious and homophobic crime and encourage victims not to "put up" with it.

The Liberal Democrats have always taken a tough stance on hate crime, which includes discrimination against people because of their gender, age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability.

The Safer Birmingham Partnership, which includes input from police, probation officers, health work and the Council, hopes the campaign will leave a lasting impression with the Birmingham public. Some large posters are already visible around the city, with the line "Birmingham is proud of its diversity - we'd like to keep it that way."

Councillor Khan, the Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Birmingham Ladywood said, "Hate crime can have an enormous impact on people's lives - physically and emotionally.

"It can affect a victim's health and well-being, it can damage their health and it can affect their outlook on life. Most types of crime are reducing in Birmingham but with hate crime, we don't know the real picture."